Letter: The Olympic Games and “What-a- Shames”

The Olympic Games have provided a welcome lift with Team GB impressing during the first days with numerous medals of differing colours.

The swimmers, divers, triathletes, equestrians, BMXs, taekwondoers, windsurfers, gymnasts, rifling and hockey players.

The team spirit and genuine friendships have been impressive, encouraging each other with obvious joy whether or not the podium is the end result, it was so refreshing to see this genuine emotion.

Then we have the athletics and the withdrawal of one of our nailed-on medallists due to a known, by her along with a privileged inner-circle, hamstring injury.

Column inches in the media become column yards… then came the false start by our 100 metres men’s finalist (the blue-ribbon event), he blamed cramp(!).

The BBC' s Michael Johnson was rather scathing about that “excuse”.

Our hope in the women’s 400 metres hurdles was apparently, according to the commentator “running on one leg” with abundant strapping.

These athletes are heavily funded and undoubtedly very talented. If however they are carrying an injury coming into their most prestigious event perhaps, they should declare and withdraw in time to allow another athlete, with the appropriate time or distance qualification, to take their place.

They always look good, hair, tattoos, nails, kit; in fact I wonder how much of their funding is spent in that area.

The comparison between the early days in Tokyo and Day 11 is striking in Team GB terms.

Outside of Team GB one of the dominant stories in the golf tournament was not the leaderboard and great golf but the fact that Rory McIlroy wasn’t wearing a cap!

The venues look amazing and the athletes and team seem to be coping with the Covid restrictions in admirable fashion.

Why oh why do the medallists have to wear masks on the podium?

They, their trainers and families have worked for years for that moment and the actual medal moment will be a masked photo or video.

Hopefully ‘Photoshop’ will come to the rescue when they get home.